How Many Subways Are There In The Uk

So the other day, I’m in a pub in Manchester, and my mate Rob—who is convinced he’s a geography genius—turns to me and says, “You know, I bet there are more subways in London than in the entire UK.” I nearly choked on my crisps. I mean, Rob is the kind of guy who thinks Birmingham is just “that place north of Watford.” But his comment got me thinking: actually, how many subways are there in the UK? And trust me, the answer is far weirder and more tangled than you’d expect.

First, let’s clear up the biggest trap: when Brits say “subway,” they almost never mean a train. Nope. Most of the time, we’re talking about those dreary, urine-scented pedestrian underpasses that smell faintly of regret and stale chips. You know the ones—the concrete tunnels under roundabouts where you half-expect to find a troll or a lost 1990s vending machine. So when you ask, “How many subways are there in the UK?” you’re mostly asking about those grim little passages. Spoiler: nobody has a precise count, because no sane person has ever tried to catalogue them all.

The Underground (The One You Actually Wanted)

Yes, you were probably thinking of the London Underground—which locals call the Tube, not the subway. That network has 272 stations and 250 miles of track. But here’s the irony: the London Underground isn’t even the only rapid transit system in the UK. Not by a long shot. You’ve also got the Glasgow Subway—a cute little loop with 15 stations that’s been running since 1896. Locals call it the “Clockwork Orange” because it’s a single circular line and, well, the trains are orange. So in terms of actual metro systems, the UK has exactly two: London’s Tube and Glasgow’s Subway. Two. That’s it. Rob was way off.

But wait—what about the Tyne and Wear Metro in Newcastle? That’s not a subway; it’s a light rail system that runs partly underground, partly on the surface. Brits get weirdly pedantic about this. I once watched a transport enthusiast nearly burst a blood vessel explaining that the Tyne and Wear Metro is “not a true subway because it uses overhead wires instead of a third rail.” Honestly, you can’t win. If you want to feel smug at a dinner party, just say the UK has two and a half metro systems and watch people squirm.

The Secret Subways You’ve Never Heard Of

Now, here’s where it gets fun. Beyond the Tube and Glasgow’s little orange loop, there are obscure, forgotten subways scattered across the country. Liverpool once had a grand underground railway called the Liverpool Overhead Railway—nicknamed the “Dockers’ Umbrella”—but it was demolished in the 1950s. Meanwhile, Manchester’s Metrolink has a tiny underground section in the city centre, but it’s basically a tram taking a brief, unglamorous nap in a tunnel. Oh, and there’s the London Post Office Railway—a 6.5-mile underground track that carried mail from 1927 to 2003. It’s now a tourist attraction, and yes, I’m still bitter I missed the last ride by three years.

But the crown for weirdest goes to Kingsway Tram Tunnel in London—an abandoned subterranean tram line that ran under the Strand. It was last used in 1952, and today it’s mostly a party venue for hipsters with a thing for concrete. So if you’re keeping score at home: the UK has two active rapid transit subways, one dead one (the Post Office Railway), and a bunch of tram tunnels that are either derelict or hosting ironic raves. Oh, and thousands of pedestrian underpasses. Thousands. I tried to count them on Google Maps once and gave up after twenty minutes because I started feeling claustrophobic.

The Real Answer (And Why It’s Pointless)

So, how many subways are there in the UK? The honest answer is: it depends on how you define “subway.” If you mean underground rail systems for passengers: 2. If you count light rail with underground sections: maybe 5 (London, Glasgow, Newcastle, Liverpool’s Merseyrail which is mostly above ground, and a stretch in Edinburgh). If you include every grimy pedestrian tunnel under a dual carriageway: roughly 4,500 (my official guess, pulled directly from my butt). And if you count the Post Office Railway and the Kingsway Tram Tunnel: 7, but only if you’re feeling generous and a bit nostalgic.

Here’s the thing: most countries would just look at you blankly. But Brits love a good categorisation argument. We’ll die on the hill that the Glasgow Subway is a “subway” but the Docklands Light Railway isn’t, even though they both move people in tunnels. It’s like arguing whether a Jaffa Cake is a biscuit or a cake—futile, but deeply satisfying for a certain type of person. (Spoiler: it’s a cake, and I will fight you over this.)

So next time you’re in a pub and someone confidently says “the UK has loads of subways,” just smile, take a sip of your pint, and calmly inform them that Rob—wherever he is—was wrong. The UK has two. And a bunch of tunnels that smell like broken dreams. But hey, that’s our charm, isn’t it? We turn everything into a polite, confusing mess. Even the holes we dig in the ground.

P.S. If you’re ever in Glasgow, ride the Subway just for the smell—it’s like stepping into a 120-year-old toaster. Highly recommended.